Below you will find the most frequently asked ‘Stinger questions’. If you have any questions that are not answered here, please contact your country's distributor or email Stinger. If you email us, please include your phone number for in most cases we will call, not email, you back. Thank you.

adaptive cruise controle

More and more car manufacturers build radar technology into their vehicles, for such systems as adaptive cruise control and blind spot alerters. Products that use the same radar frequencies can theoretically cause mutual interference.

Likewise, it is possible your car’s radar systems influence your Stinger. This is, however, not a certainty, for different car brands and makes often use different frequencies.

Therefore, please check pro-actively with your auto dealer or Stinger installer to get exact radar frequency info. For detailed advice, you can also contact Stinger.

The laser used in in-car laser products does not interfere with Stinger laser functionalities. It could, however, interfere with police laser and even cause ‘jammed codes’ on the police laser gun. This ‘jammed code’ is not caused by your Stinger, but rather by the laser technology as built into your vehicle by your car manufacturer.

ANTENNA

No, this is virtually impossible. The Stinger is not a radar detector and therefore not detectable by an RDD. The Stinger products employ patch antennas, which are closed systems and therefore fully stealth.
In countries where radar detectors are not allowed, from a legal point of view, it is not relevant that the Stinger cannot be detected by an RDD. This, as a Stinger is not a radar detector. The Stinger’s stealth characteristics are convenient however, as Stinger users will not be unnecessarily pulled over by the police asking them whether they are using a radar detector.

DESKTOP

As soon as your Stinger is communicating with Stinger Desktop, you can see this on Stinger Desktop.Also, the Stinger Card will have its white or blue LEDs on, while the Stinger DSI will show a black square in the top left corner.For the Stinger VIP you do not connect your display to a PC-Interface, but rather a USB-stick that connects straight into your Mac or PC.

First, make sure that your display is actually on: The Stinger Card should show active LEDs, while the Stinger DSI will show a black square in the top left corner. For the Stinger VIP you do not connect your display to a PC-Interface, but rather a USB-stick that connects straight into your Mac or PC.

In case your display is NOT on, or you think that your computer does not ‘see’ your USB-stick, remove it for at least five seconds before reconnecting it. If that does not help, try cleaning your PC-Interface or USB-stick (with air), your computer’s USB connection (also with air), or your displays connection patches (with air and/or an eraser).

If all this still does not help to get communication going between your Mac or PC and Stinger Desktop, you are probably using a PC - not a Mac - and your PC-Interface Drivers were not installed correctly. Re-install the Drivers by accurately following the instructions from the Stinger Desktop Installation manual.

If your display or USB-stick is active (Card: white or blue LEDs on, DSI: black square in top left corner, VIP’s USB-stick: should always work), make sure your PC-Interface or Stinger USB-stick is connected to your Mac or PC before starting up Stinger Desktop. So to remedy, quit Stinger Desktop, then re-connect your Stinger display or USB-stick to your Mac or PC. Only then, restart Stinger Desktop and it should ‘see’ your display now.

FUNCTIONALITY

Yes, that is possible. Go to the Stinger Desktop on your Mac or PC, download the relevant Stinger Operating Software, and install it onto your Stinger (by placing the Card or DSI back onto the Display Holder in your car or by plugging the Stinger USB stick into the VIP USB-lead in your car).

Usage of these application is meant for countries where they are allowed. You are personally responsible for ascertaining the legality of using these applications in your jurisdiction. Specifically for Stinger users who enter a country or state where these functionalities are not allowed, every Stinger display comprises a possibility to erase these functionalities at the push of a button. This allows for a quick and convenient way to abide by diverse local rules and regulations.

In order to make it possible to also use your Stinger in countries or states where Radar or Laser Alerting is not allowed, you must be able to erase these functionalities. This is possible on every Stinger.

Once you have erased the software, it is really gone - not merely deactivated. It’s permanent. So to use Radar Alerting or Laser Alerting again, you cannot simply re-activate those functions. You will have to go back to your Mac or PC, download the applicable software, and re-install it on your Stinger.

Yes, both erasing and deactivating are possible.In most countries or states where you are not allowed to employ a laser jammer, you are allowed to drive around with it - you are just not allowed to actively and knowingly use it to hamper a police laser speed trap. For this reason, on every Stinger, it is possible to activate and deactivate your LaserShield.

But it is also possible to erase the software. Once you have erased the software, it is really gone - not merely deactivated. It’s permanent. So to use LaserShield again, you cannot simply re-activate those functions. You will have to go back to your Mac or PC, download the applicable software, and re-install it on your Stinger.

GPS

Possibly, the continuous power has been interrupted due to, for example, a faulty cable or incorrect installation. In such cases the GPS module will lose its basic positional data. Re-calculating its basic positional data will always take about 20 minutes. So unless the cause of the interrupted continuous power has been removed, after every re-start of your car, it will take about 20 minutes before your Stinger will get a GPS fix.

Another possibility is that the GPS antenna was placed in/on your car incorrectly. Make sure the antenna has an unobscured ‘sight’ upwards, so does not get hampered by metal or heat-protecting glass.

If you have started your car journey in a parking garage, it is possible that the GPS module will need some extra time to ascertain its positional data.

Lastly, make sure you are using the latest Stinger Operating Software, which you can download from Stinger Desktop.

If you own a Stinger Card or DSI, attach your display to your PC-Interface and attach your PC-Interface to your Mac or PC. If you own a Stinger VIP, plug your Stinger USB-stick directly into your Mac or PC.Your Stinger Desktop will automatically download any available software updates.

Next, place your Card or DSI display on the Display Holder, or attach your USB-stick to the VIP USB-lead, in your car.For the Card, the updating steps end here. The Card does not operate through a separate computer, so a further download will not be needed. If you are using a DSI or VIP, upon starting your car engine, your display will ask you to allow starting the download. Press ‘OK’ and do not switch off the car during the download.

Yes, in some cases.All regular improvement and bug fixing software updates are free of charge as part of Stinger’s ongoing endeavor to improve product performance and ease of use. Also for software upgrades Stinger will usually not charge a fee.

However, Stinger may charge a fee for larger or more complex upgrades that add new functionalities or significantly improve current functionalities.

Lastly, Stinger does charge a subscription fee for SpotList (GPS database) updates (though not for the first year in the country of purchase). These SpotList updates are available on the Stinger Desktop.